Sail House - Architecture Blog | bléuscape design

It’s interesting what you find when flicking through old computer files. The Sail House was a home that I designed back in 2002, unfortunately it was never realised. At that stage we didn't have 3d software, all the images being in elevation and plan only.

I thought that it would be interesting to convert it to 3d and see what it could have been. At the time the idea drew influence from Gabriel Poole’s early light weight housing, especially his Lake Weyba house on the Sunshine Coast.

Lake Weyba house - Gabriel Poole

Our design is also broken up into three pavilions, all having different purposes. The identical size is mainly to do with the roof line. I wanted to create a saw-tooth roof that uses fabric as its main shading mechanism. The angle of the sails allows for sun to hit the lower roof in winter and keep it off in summer. This lower roof consists of two layers of 32mm translucent Dampalon, this is a thermally responsive polycarbonate material. At night the roof would glow like a lantern and during the day it would act as a sundial of sorts.

While the architecture is geometrically complex, especially from an engineering perspective, it aims to provide an experience that is more akin to luxury camping. My hope in designing it was that through symmetry the form would appear to sit in its environment like a group of trees whose branches feather off in their lightness to nothing.

2 Responses to Sail House

Thanks Roberto. Its an interesting idea. One thing I must confess too is not knowing the overall costs associated with designing a roof like this. Over the years one begins to realise that uniqueness in residential architecture comes at a price. That cost is often not justified unless the client has a strong appreciation for one-off details and deep pockets.